Here it goes, in all my brutal honesty, for the world to call me out on several months down the line. And you know what? I WANT you to call me out on it. I WANT you to invite yourself & your little ones over to pressure me to keep my table clear. I WANT you to send harassing emails if I haven't updated my blog in weeks. I WANT you to ask me how my grandfather is & check if I've been keeping in touch with him. Know why? Because it's always easier if you're held accountable to someone. Whether it's your Weight Watchers leader or your Husband Project Accountability Partner... guilt is a great motivator. So without further adieu: Christy's Resolutions.
*Fit into my line-dancing Rockies that still have the tags on them. Okay, so that’s quite a ways down the line (size 18) – as is my senior prom dress (size 20) – but those are my eventual “goal clothes”. You know the ones I’m talking about – you know you have them too – the one or 2 pieces of clothing to remind you of your past physique that you haven’t hucked even though you’ve been to goodwill a dozen times. Alright, I know these are likely not achievable in this year, so to be realistic...
§ Get locked down on the track to a healthier lifestyle. I’ll admit it, as of my last doctor visit in October (for x-rays after a particularly challenging student jumped onto my foot & all but crushed it), I was 306 and size 28 (3x). That number scared me more than anything else. I passed out of the 200’s. I was the exact same weight I was at the end of my pregnancy WHEN I HAD 2 OTHER PEOPLE INSIDE OF ME!!! Enough is enough. I want to be able to shop at regular stores. I want to be able to keep up with my students. I want to be able to survive my girls’ teenage years when lord only knows what they’re planning on throwing at me. I want to be there, albeit crying hysterically, at their weddings. I want to hold my grandchildren – hell, I want to meet my great-grandchildren. Smaller portions. Smaller, more frequent meals. Eat breakfast. Don’t eat after 8:30. Yesterday I received a "waive the registration costs for you & a friend" to the new program with Weight Watchers - fruits are zero points now! - and I think I'm going to go for it.
§ Walk 2 days each week for the next 3 weeks. After that, increase to 3 days for 3 weeks & we’ll see how it goes. I haven’t worked out/exercised since I was about 6 months pregnant with the girls so I’m gonna have to be realistic & play it by ear.
§ Only eat out once a week (at most) as a family. I phrase it “as a family” because there are too many times where I take the easy way out on a hectic evening and find myself grabbing happy meals for the girls. Such a terrible habit to get THEM into. I phrase it “as a family" because there are to be 2 exceptions : we decided NOT to count my MNO’s as “eating out” since it’s an ongoing once-a-month gig. And we’d like to instate…
§ Date night. Going out at least once a month. I’m talking dressed nice, get a babysitter, order from a menu that you actually hold in your hands, maybe hit a movie or play kind of evening. We realized that our last “date night” (not including SMoM events like installation banquet) was opening weekend of Avatar. It’s hard for us because he works swing shifts, but we’re going to make a concerted effort – it’s too easy to fall into the “I think I’m a roommate/nanny with ‘benefits’ and I’m starting to feel resentment”.
§ Host 4 get togethers this year. Whether it be play days (with multiple families) or adult evenings – I love to host. Which brings me to my next resolution…
§ Keep the dining room table cleared off. As it is right now, it’s just a big flat place for “stuff” to accumulate… and then get forgotten as more gets piled on top of it. I know it sounds like a weird resolution, but it’s the main thing you see as you walk into the house & it embarrasses me when I’m ashamed to have people over because of it. I’m ashamed to have had my parents over for dinner only once or twice since we moved in… 6 ½ years ago.
§ Keep up on sewing & not let the repair basket become a black hole for clothing. I put off even sewing a button back on a pair of slacks or a skirt, place it in the “repair basket” and don’t see it again for a year or 2. By that time, I’ve forgotten about it & have purchased a new one. No more I say! Sewing a button on or ironing a patch isn’t high tech sewing. I suppose I should take the plastic packaging off the ironing board huh?
§ Refinance the house. Though the thought of pulling the mortgage back out to 30 years is daunting, the thought that we could be saving potentially 1 ½ % over what we’re paying now is encouraging. I could start putting away the difference to help pay for the girls’ college or weddings.
§ Do thing that scares me every month. This is a pretty easy resolution seeing as I dig my heels in at change – life has gotten pretty predictable. So for me, this could be a new restaurant, a new activity, even invite a new friend over for a playday/chat.
§ Update my blog at least once a week for six months. I enjoy writing – I’ve been told I’m an okay writer – and I’d really like to be able to look back when I’m old & senile and read through the antics of my Twinadoes. Who knows, maybe I could even start reviewing products & get endorsements! ;)
§ Continue/increase usage of “The Husband Project” (by Kathi Lipp). Such simple things to do & such amazing benefits. All those little things you did when you were trying to “win” your spouse that you stopped doing once you “won” them -or had children - and didn’t even realize you had stopped. Hide little love notes in lunches or on the driver’s seat of his car. Hide a special treat (like salsa, a guy movie or new CD) for him to find while I’m away or out with friends. Wear a skirt more often. You know – the stuff that shows you CARE.
§ Set aside some time every evening to focus only on my children - no computer, no fixing a meal, no prep for tomorrow's lesson - storytime, listening to them read to me, having them tell me about their school day without having to get my attention in the rear-view mirror - total focus. They’re 5. I can’t believe they’re already 5. I want them to remember little snippets from these early years as fondly as I remember spending the days with my own mom. I need to slow down. As a wise man once said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” ;)
§ Call Poppy at least once a week & visit or have lunch/dinner with him at least once a month. He has always done so much for us. He misses us – especially the girls – and is sometimes so lonely in that big house. As hard as it is for me to spend time in there – the pain of the absence of Grammy still oftentimes strikes so hard – I need to realize that he lives through it day in & day out. I need to suck it up & go visit him with the girls more often than I do.
§ Prioritize my time better so “The Great Scourge of December 2010” doesn't become a reoccurring event. I need to make sure that I'm giving myself "down-time" - whether it be a night out with friends (thanks guys for making me have at least one night of sanity each month) or a date night and DEFINITELY at least 8 hours of sleep each night. I know it sounds like I’ve suddenly become 60 years old, but when I’m up till midnight one night and then 1 the next night and 1:30 the next and keep telling myself “I can sleep in over the weekend”, fate inevitably laughs at you and either sends you insomnia, a sick child or smites YOU with sickness.
Wow. A lot more ambitious than I originally set out to be, but I suppose if you’re in for a dime you’re in for a dollar huh?
